Most toy box use a standard hinge that pivots through an axis located on one end of the box. If a child places a finger on the outmost end of the toy box away of the hinge side there is minimal load that can crush a finger. If a child places a finger closer to the hinge side mechanical advantage of the moment arm of the lid make crushing or severing a finger easier. Normally the selection of lighter weight material and mechanisms for counter balancing the weight of the lid can be considered and incorporated into the design and fabrication of the box, thus minimizing the likelihood and/or force of the lid accidentally compressing one's extremity (finger/hand). Unfortunately, the force that can be produced between the lid and the box upon closing can be significant when being forcefully closed by an individual and in particular as the pinched extremity approaches the physical plane of the hinges pivot point, as the leverage resulting from this “scissors” action can be tremendous, i.e. magnitudes higher than the weight and/or force being applied to the lid. As a consequence, the victim of this accident can experience bodily injury. Some custom hinge patents have been issued that allow for a sliding end of a hinge. In all these cases the inventor creates a unique hinge while the pending application operates with a standard hinge. Exemplary examples of issue custom hinges are provided herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 523,304 issued on Jul. 17, 1894 to R. F. Collins discloses a furniture hinge. The furniture hinge provides for both an extension and a hinging action for furniture. More specifically the extension allows the hinge to work with a sofa bed where the extension allows the padding on the bed surface to be accommodated. While this patent allows for a sliding hinge that could be used in other applications the hinge is a custom configuration and is not useful with a standard hinge.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,243,919 issued Jun. 12, 2001 to Ove Hetland discloses a hinge for doors and windows. The hinge is custom fabricated and includes a spring that pushes an arm of the hinge into the pivoting hilt of the hinge. This patent is used with vertical surfaces that are maintained in a various positions from open to close. While this patent reduces the potential for injury on a door or window it uses custom hinge pieces and is not intended for use with toy box lids that swing vertically open.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,836,934 issued Jan. 4, 2005 to San Miguel De Juana et al., discloses a safety hinge. The safety hinge mounts on the ends of a door frame. If an object is in the pinch area of the doorjamb springs in the safety hinge allow the safety hinge to move the pivotal axis of the safety hinge. While the safety hinge opens the pinch location the patented safety hinge in entirely custom and is not compatible with standard hinges and or door hardware.
What is needed is a sliding hinge mechanism that operates with a standard hinge to lift the lid of a box to prevent a finger or hand from being crushed. The proposed sliding safety hinge provides this solution with a sliding mechanism that operates with a standard hinge to lift the hinge side of a box to prevent the injury.